Pub N Grub @ ‘The Whitefield Arms’

Whitefield? – if you had asked someone in Bangalore a couple of decades back, they would have said, its a different town outside the city. Cut back to history and it has its significance tied to the British era which meant the culture is bound to be retained in food. Now with the city of Bengaluru expanding to its seams and Whitefield now an integral part of it with the IT hub playing a major role, one place is aiming to bring out the bygone era of Anglo-Indian culture with a colonial setup – The Whitefield Arms ! Part of the Waverly Hotel /VR Mall, this is an excellent place to head to for a drink or for a family get-together.

Ambience is laid back and nice, has a small indoor seating but the USP of this place is the outdoor seating. The decor on the wall is as catchy as it can get. See for yourself in the pics below –

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If you wish to be seated inside, comfy couches are the best here and kiddo chairs are available too !

Outside is where you should get seated to soak in the mood ! We were here on an invite during lunch hours and with a pleasant climate for company, outdoors was awesome.I can imagine how nice it would look in the evening with lights on.

Impressive Bar menu and Beer right off their Brewery is a plus. Lets start off with some cocktails from the Bar menu shall we ? I picked a couple of their signatures to try –

Lavelle – Sounds interesting isn’t it ? It did to me too, well it basically is the name of an Irish soldier who had a part to play in the Kolar Gold Fields. Trust me – I did not make this up ! Its on the menu too !!! It’s basically a blend of Vodka, Gin, Butter Scotch and Honey ! Wonderful drink and refreshing, just the perfect glass to gulp down at peace.

Queen’s Park Sizzle – When it’s Run, Red Wine, Mint and Lime – its bound to sizzle. Kudos to the folks behind the bar for that perfectly layered drink and balancing the taste of each.

Now to the grub part –

Mulligatawny Soup – Now I’ve had a lot of this soup in Chennai ( Previously Madras) and it basically means pepper – water based with all the spices packed in.The one here as they call it, is the Anglicised version and I will agree with that – there is a balance of spices and pepper while retaining the Madras effect to it. It is a famed soup during the British era and they have done justice to the taste and its originality. Tried both the veg and chicken version and both stood out. The soup is served with a side portion of white rice to keep it original and I would recommend that you put the rice right in and have a bowl of wonderfulness !

Veg Version –

Chicken version –

Haymarket Stacked Salad – This was one kicker of a salad. The Mustard Yogurt dressing with some great veggies is refreshing. It’s got bell pepper, lot of greens, tomatoes, corn and tortilla chips I believe. What was good about the salad’s here is that with almost every appetizer they were bringing in a salad as side and each time with a different dressing and ingredients which was good.

Now for some Quickies ! ……………Stop Googling ! It’s their way of calling out Appetizers or Starters on the menu and I have got hooked to this word. Before I get to them, some of the quickies that we tried are part of the new dishes that will be included in the menu very soon or may have already been included when you are reading this, so don’t be surprised if you do not find these in the menu immediately, psst just let your wait staff know and the chef will get these to you in no time ! Let’s get to them in detail –

Mushroom Poppers – This one is new to be introduced and I am glad they did. It does pop well in the mouth and insured that Mushroom is the hero. The poppers are served with sides, one a garlic based and an another one with a tangy base. What did not go well was the tangy dip, it just overpowers the taste of the mushrooms. I grabbed em without the dip and was pretty happy with it. To be honest, the poppers in itself are so good that we could do without the dip.

Chicken Pantra – Another new kid on the block. Minced chicken stuffed in a roll and fried with bread crumbs.Stuffing also includes garlic, tomatoes, chilli , some greens and spices. This one is your comfort food to go with a drink. Good eat but grab’em when it’s hot, it could get heavy on you if left for long and dip and salad as side is much need to give it that balance.

Devil Chicken Fry – My Favourite dish of the day. Period ! Truly a devil in spice level and for me the more spice kick the better, totally loved it. The chicken was delicious and well cooked, the masala was totally Madras like. If there is something that I would want to change in this dish, would be the Mustard Mayo on top, it somehow felt not needed but for those who do not like the spice level to be Devil like, a dip of the mustard mayo will help.

TWA Chips, Cheese and Gravy – On the menu currently and apparently the best seller dish. It is unique in a way that it combines as the name indicates – French Fries, Cheese and topped with Dal Makhani. It is a nice concept but did not ring a bell for me. It came across a little dry and I could not sink in the gravy part, maybe needed more cheese and Makhani in it.

Quickies done, lets head to the mains –

Beef Tenderloin Burger – One of the best tenderloin’s I’ve had in a while. The bun on the burger was soft and perfect. The layers of cheese, greens, onions and tomatoes with the succulent tenderloin was a mouthful of party. Going back for this again !

The next two mains are new dishes getting on the menu and are an anglicised Indian dish on offer.

Vilayathi Veg with Saffron Rice – Vilayathi basically translates to Foreign or mostly referred to British or English style.The idea of this dish is using Exotic veggies in an Indian version of gravy. Some of the veggies in the dish include Carrot, Broccoli, Zucchini and Red capsicum. Good Food overall.

Railway Mutton Curry – This is an Anglo-Indian dish that a lot of folks can relate to.This is one of the dishes that was served in the Frontier Mail. Liked the curry with well cooked mutton and potatoes as well. The dish is served with a prawn cracker, rice and salad.

Lets end with a sweet tooth – not one but three picked off the current menu

Chocolate Sin for Two – Chocolate is not my forte and when its too much its a sin ! This one is for the hardcore chocolate lover, do not miss it. Chocolate fudge cake + dark chocolate ganache + chocolate glaze !

Saffron Poached Pear Crumble Sundae – More sundae for me, less of a poached pear, lot of cream which spoils the fun a bit. Overall a good dessert but less cream for me would have helped.

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And that winds up the food part. Service started off slow but got going in a while, at times one may not care if the service is slow here with the beautiful outdoor setup. Parking not an issue as one could park within the mall and there is valet as well if you need it. They also have some plans coming up for Oktoberfest , so keep an eye out for it too.